Canada's 100 Days

National Archives of Canada (PA-003590).

Procession of Canadian Armoured Cars, Mons, Belgium, November 1918.

Canadian soldiers were instrumental in the final Allied offensive of the First World War. In the successive battles of Amiens, Canal du Nord, Cambrai, and Valenciennes, and in the pursuit to Mons, they helped liberate occupied France and Belgium and aided in the final defeat of German forces.

The victories at Ypres, the Somme, and Vimy Ridge gave Canadian soldiers a reputation as a- formidable fighting force that was able to overcome the most difficult obstacles.. The last 100 days of the war confirmed that reputation. The victories also exacted a terrible toll, forcing the Canadian government to enact conscription for the first time in its history. The desperate slaughter of trench warfare also forced the Canadian Corps to alter its tactics, employing rapid attacks supported with concentrated artillery bombardment. Freed from the senseless tactics that had resulted in prolonged battles waged for a few square metres of ground, the Canadian army quickly achieved victory after victory. They relentlessly pushed the German army further and further back towards Germany.